Numbers 34:12

The natural eastern border of Canaan followed the Jordan River down to the Salt Sea (or Dead Sea). The Jordan River and the Salt Sea were part of the Great Rift Valley. They were strong barriers, but people could cross them.

This boundary did not include the lands east of the Jordan River. Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived there. These settlements were not part of Canaan. There were outside the first borders of the promised land.

Chapter 34 describes the borders of Canaan. This is where God commanded Israel to settle, following the guidelines in 26:52–56. Since Abraham's call, the promised land of Canaan has been central to the Old Testament story (Genesis 12:1–7). A generation of Hebrews died in the wilderness for not believing what the faithful spies reported (Numbers 13). Yet, God reaffirmed his promise of land (33:53).

Here, God reviews the plan and outlines the promised land's intended boundaries (compare Joshua 13–19; Ezekiel 47–48). Old Testament Israel did not fully capture this territory. It almost did during the time of the kings David and Solomon (see 2 Samuel 24:1–9). But these borders generally describe the region of Canaan as defined by Egyptian texts from 1500–1200 BC. This was when the Hebrews invaded. The region actually occupied by Israel changed from time to time.